The Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) needs insights from architects, engineers, and design professionals across the country.
BCAP is conducting a national market evaluation in 2017 to help better inform efforts to develop effective training for design professionals. Our overall goal is to support strong growth in the design industry for the benefit of architects, engineers, and their clients. Participants who complete the market survey will be entered to win one of ...
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Design professionals
Miami takes the next STEP with solar training for design professionals
by Kamaria Greenfield, BCAP
As of last summer, Florida’s energy code incorporates Section 406 of the 2015 IECC: the Energy Rating Index. This provision – which includes a backstop to ensure an efficient building envelope – represents a huge opportunity to integrate the power of renewable energy into new building designs. With over 100,000 new housing unit permits authorized in 2015 alone, Florida is a state poised to have a huge impact on national building energy usage patterns...
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How these 22 cities could shape the future of solar photovoltaics
by Kamaria Greenfield, BCAP
The year 2030 is a meaningful one across the world of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Architecture 2030 challenge aims to have all new buildings, developments, and major renovations be carbon neutral by this date. As a result of the Paris climate agreement, many countries have made pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions on this same timeframe. And last month, the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative announced their own 2030 targe...
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Timely Solar Training for Design Professionals Coming Soon
by Maria Ellingson, BCAP Program Director
NOTE: This blog post is part of the SunShot Initiative’s series on solar and real estate. Read all the posts here.
Learn more about the SunShot Initiative and register for training here
America’s demand for solar energy is spreading - and fast. In just the last eight years, solar electricity generation has increased 30 fold and solar jobs are growing 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. Recent federal policies are making solar even...
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Measuring The Real Impact Of Building Design
Last month, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) had its national annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia. At the convention, BCAP’s President, Maureen Guttman, along with three other architects, gave a presentation on building commissioning to make one thing clear: building commissioning is here to stay and architects have big business opportunities to help shape the future direction of commissioning.
In the session, Architects Leading the Commissioning Process, the presenters provide...
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Taking a Closer Look at Commercial Construction Data
More regional energy efficiency organizations are examining commercial construction data to gain insights into the commercial construction trends and the economic impact of building energy code adoption and implementation on the construction trends. Raw construction data on permits can provide valuable information especially when paired with volume and accuracy. Permit data helps understand the state of both current and future market. It helps understand what kind of impact newer state-level ene...
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Outreach to Architects in Pennsylvania
by Maria Ellingson, BCAP
As often the first point of contact with prospective owners of new homes and buildings, architects are a key influencer in determining the level of energy efficiency that is included in new construction and major renovation projects. But architects have been largely absent from an important issue that’s left Pennsylvania unable to adopt an updated building code.
The process for adopting the state building code - the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) - is currently de...
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The Architect as Superhero
Maureen Guttman, President of the Building Codes Assistance Project, exhorts architects to take more responsibility for model energy code adoption and implementation.
How can architects build a new world of sustainable communities? By taking more responsibility for model energy code adoption and implementation. At the Hanley Wood Vision 2020 Sustainability Summit, held in conjunction with the 2014 Greenbuild in New Orleans, BCAP President Maureen Guttman encourages architects to let go of ...
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Moving Building Technology To The Era Of Zero-Energy Buildings
Paul Torcellini, principal engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, discusses how we can achieve zero-energy buildings by integrating the cost of energy efficiency into design decisions. This is the first presentation captured from Ecobuilding Review’s 2014 Vision 2020 Sustainability Summit.
The original article can be viewed here. For more information on the year-long Vision 2020 project, which aims to establish and track a roadmap ...
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Codes, Standards and Rating Systems
Are architects unaware of their legal obligations under licensure, or are they simply negligent?
Maureen Guttman, AIA
In the United States, national model energy codes were created in response to the energy and economic crises of the 1970s. In 1978, Congress passed the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, which required states that received federal financial assistance to initiate energy efficiency standards for new buildings. In 1992, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act (EPAct), which up...
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